Hidden
by chakurakid15
Summary: This is a NaruSaku and NaruHina fanfic. Been a while since I updated, I've been busy. If you need a better explanation, check my profile. I'm gonna try to update soon, so don't worry! Sorry for the wait, now get in there and read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Sleepwalking in the Daytime!

Welcome to the Fan-fiction "Hidden…" 

This is a Naruto Fan-fiction that contains some of the best and some of the worst parts of Naruto! Let you be warned by me that it contains Naru/Saku,

Naru/Hina, and maybe some Lee/Gai parts to it. (If I ever get around to it) If you are madly in love with any of these characters or do NOT want to see them defiled in writing, then this is not the Fan-Fic for you. Otherwise welcome in and have a seat for I have the story known as "Hidden…"

to tell…

(A.N. Narrations and loud yelling are in **BOLD** and thoughts are in _Italics._)

**Chapter 1: Sleepwalking in the Daytime!**

This story begins an hour into Naruto and Sakura's date after he returns with Jiraiya from his 2 years of training:

"Sakura-Chan! Sakura-Chan! What did I do?" wondered Naruto.

"You sick pervert!" exclaimed Sakura "I saw you trying to look up my skirt when you were "finding" your chopsticks back there!

"But Sakura I wasn't trying to look up your skirt, I was just trying to keep the Bikouchuu from crawling on your leg!"

"Liar" yelled Sakura as she sends Naruto sprawling into the nearby fence.

"You're lucky Kakashi-sensei taught Sasuke Chidori and not me, or I'd have ripped out your heart and force-fed it to you through a straw" she screamed.

"Aw come on…" "I wasn't trying to peep, I promise!

"No Naruto I won't, you've been living with that pervert hermit for too long and I think he's rubbing off on you!"

Just as Sakura finishes, Kakashi-sensei appears and lands next to Naruto while still holding Make-out Paradise…

"I wasn't interrupting any 'important' conversations, was I?" Kakashi wonders looking innocent.

"What are you doing here sensei?" asked Sakura, momentarily diverted from Naruto.

"Well I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd pick you two up to accept our new mission, but I can see you two are busy so I'll come back a bit later!" said Kakashi, smiling behind his mask and stepping to leave.

"You were spying on us weren't you Sensei?" Sakura & Naruto ask simultaneously.

"Goodness no, I was just out buying some milk and I saw you!" he said while not holding any milk at all.

"What, did you drink it all before you got home? They asked incredulously.

"Now now children, lets not ask stupid questions. Okay?" he said not answering their questions.

I'm NOT stupid, you…" started Naruto but was cut off by Sakura who asked…

"Now what is this about a mission? Or are you just gonna make fun of Naruto the whole time?"

"Just come with me, I'll explain it on the way." Said Kakashi ignoring them both.

"Good I was just about finished here anyway!"

"Aw, but Sakura-Chan…" Naruto starts, but as they turn to leave, Naruto sees something out of the corner of his eye, but when he turns to get a better look, it's gone…?

**(End Chapter 1)**

What is Naruto and Sakura's new mission?

Who was the mysterious figure watching them?

Will Naruto ever get a peek at Sakura's Panties?

Tune in for the updated Chapter 2!


	2. Chapter 2: Not one of us

**Chapter 2: "Not one of Us…"**

Naruto, Sakura, And Kakashi are making their way to

Tsunade's Office when…

"Hey, Sakura did you…" started Naruto

No, Naruto I don't want to hear your crap of how you didn't MEAN to look up my skirt, and how it was an accident and how it wasn't your fault, OK!" she seethed

"But Sakura…"

"No, I don't want to hear it you perverted idiot!"

"Come on you two, stop fighting, you're supposed to be a team remember?" Kakashi said interrupting their fight.

"But Kakashi-sensei, I think I saw someone watching us!"

"It was probably one of your 'fan-girls' following you. "Or just your imagination, more likely" Sakura whispered laughing to herself.

"You really think so!" said Naruto getting excited. "I wonder if I should go back and ask them if they want an autograph."

"NO!" said Sakura jokingly.

"_Idiots!_"thought Kakashi. "Okay look, I don't want to hear about 'fan-girls' and peeking all the way to Tsunade's, OK?" he said abruptly "We'll be there in a few minutes, so just relax you two!"

"We're sorry" Naruto and Sakura said in unison.

At that moment a green flash zipped past Naruto and Sakura and landed on the nearby street…

"Oh no, not him, not now!" Sakura whispered.

"What's the matter?" asked Naruto overhearing her.

"Ohayo Sakura-Chan!" yelled Lee from below. "Wanna go on a date later after we get rid of the idiot?"

"Lee I've told you already I am NOT going on a date with you! Stop asking or I'll throw you into a fence next!"

"But don't you see the Lotus I…" he began but stopped when he noticed he wasn't holding it anymore. As Lee looks around to see where it went, he suddenly looks up to see Naruto staring at him with extreme hate in his eyes.

"What did you call me? I am not an **IDIOT**, you green freak!" yelled Naruto.

At that moment, Gai-sensei shows up out of nowhere and holds them apart. But why is he covered in…

"Milk!" exclaimed Naruto and Sakura together.

"Get away from me!" said the disgusted demon boy remembering his last experience with the stuff.

"Why are you covered in milk?" asks Sakura and Lee at the same time.

"Well I was under this cow and I…" started Gai.

The rest was cut off as Naruto and Sakura notice Kakashi has been gone for some time now, and so they sneak off themselves completely unnoticed by the Green Dou. As they look back, they see Lee jumping up and down holding on to Gai-sensei's wrist.

"We didn't hear or see any of that did we Sakura?" Naruto asks a little freaked.

"Uh definitely not." agreed Sakura a little afraid that she would be mentally scarred for some time to come.

"I hope they don't act like that all the time, it's hard enough to tell what their sexuality is anyway without all that." said Naruto jokingly.

"With him hitting on me all the time I'm starting to think he's desperate." She replies in the same joking manner.

"Well we're almost there now so lets hurry before they notice we're gone and try to get US under a cow." Said Naruto finishing the conversation as they reach Tsunade's office.

(End chapter 2)

What happened to Kakashi?

What's the rest of the story of why Gai-sensei is covered in milk?

Will Lee ever get a date with Sakura?

Doesn't how short this is annoy you?

A updated and checked Chapter 3 is next so don't complain! (Fatties!)


	3. Chapter 3: The Mission

Chapter 3: The "Mission" 

As Naruto and Sakura are jumping off, leaving Gai and Lee behind, they see Tsunade-sama's office just ahead…

"Hey Sakura what do you think our next mission will be? And where did Kakashi-sensei go?"

"I'm not sure but I'm gonna find the answer to that out soon!" she said, forgetting her anger at him after being interrupted by the 'Green Dou'.

"Kakashi always sneaks off like this when he thinks he's gonna be suckered into something." replied Naruto.

"Like that time I tried to read his "Make-Out-Paradise" books a few years ago."

"That was hilarious! He found you looking under his bed, and while you were bent over he tied you up and threw you out the window into that dumpster." Laughed Sakura, reminding her how she and Sasuke had gotten video footage of it and sold it on the Konoha-net and never told him, although she had saved the original for a holiday joke one year. Or if he really pissed her off, she'd show it on a big screen T.V. to embarrass him.

"Shut up! That wasn't funny, I had to wash my hair three times to get the funk out of it. And look we're there anyway." He said hearing Sakura mumbling something under her breath about only washing once a year and that in itself was a miracle.

As they go in, Naruto sees the pretty receptionist and immediately runs up to her.

"Hi, I'm here to see Tsunade, but would you want to go on a date with me some time?" he says all in one quick breath.

Sakura comes up behind him and smashes his head into the desk.

"We're here to see Tsunade-sama, where do we go?"

"Just up those stairs and to the third door on the right." replies the receptionist.

"Thanks" said Sakura dragging Nartuto by the shirt collar.

As they walk away, the receptionist thinks she hears Sakura yelling at Naruto about how he shouldn't be so desperate or she'll beat his face into a steel guardrail next time…

"_Ah to be in love again!Llucky guy gots himself a really hot girlfriend too!_" she thinks, hearing their footsteps fade up the staircase.

As they get up the stairs and enter Tsunade's office, they are greeted by a welcoming enough sight.

"Ohayo, Tsunade-sama." said Sakura sagely.

"Morning Granny Tsunade" says Naruto stupidly.

"Good morning you two. I don't have time to waste so I'll get right to your next mission." Tsunade said holding in her anger at being called 'old'.

(End chapter 3)

Finally we're at the mission that you've all been waiting for! But to bad for you it hasn't been typed yet. (suckers!) But wait, where is Kakashi, what happened to Lee and Gai, and when will this fan-fic stop sucking so much?

I don't know but find out more in the next installment.

Next is…Chapter 4: Into the Office!


	4. Chapter 4: Into the office

Chapter 4: Into the Office!

Naruto and Sakura just walked into Tsunade's office and were greeted by the fifth herself…

"So what's our mission today?" asked Naruto figuring it would be another stupid C or D class mission he'd be bored doing even with Sakura there.

"It's not for you, Naruto." Said Tsunade with an odd smile she had never used before. "It's for Sakura only!" she finished looking slightly embarrassed about something.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"I mean that it's a mission that's ONLY for Sakura and myself." She repeated.

"**WHAT**! Why can't I go?" asked Naruto.

"Because where we're going, you won't want to follow." Said Tsunade.

"Where…" started Naruto.

"To the mall of course!" said Tsunade emphatically. "For some girl time together."

"What…you and me… girl time?" sputtered Sakura.

"From what Kakashi you two have been seen together a lot!" said Tsunade.

Naruto and Sakura turn a shade of crimson at the thought of being together so much.

"_I knew he wasn't buying milk!_" thought Naruto.

"Sakura, you have a great sense of style but you are still missing a few things that are important." said Tsunade.

"I think she looks great the way she is now!" declared Naruto.

Sakura blushes, "_Wow, he really can be nice… when he stops acting perverted for more than 5 seconds._" She laughs thinking in her head.

In walks Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura turn and see that he is the person they were most excited to see.

"Oh Kakashi-sensei, we would like to have a little talk with you!" said Sakura.

"Crap! You beat me here! I thought I could grab my book on the way home and still make it out before you guys if I hurried." Kakashi said. "Damn, caught again I guess."

"I knew you weren't buying milk!" said Sakura.

"I knew you weren't buying milk." declared Naruto.

"_Idiot child_" thought Kakashi and Tsunade. "_Who would believe that lie?_" thought Sakura.

"I can't believe you would talk about and spy on us like that." said Naruto

"Hey let's focus here people." Said Tsunade regaining control of the room. "I'll let you guys beat him in a minute. Just let me finish my instructions then I'll let you go." She finished.

"Fine!" said the two teens together giving their teacher a dirty look.

"Umm, not fine…" said Kakashi looking a wee bit nervous.

"Anyway… I want to meet you at the mall at 9:30 tommorow. Don't be late, I got a lot of work I still have to finish here, OK?"

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow at 9:30 sharp." said Sakura. " Goodnight."

"Now that we've caught our little spy, what do you think we should do with him?" asked Naruto smiling.

"Well I can see that you two are busy and I gotta go check my uh… underwear in the dryer, yeah that's right, so I'll see you guys later." Stuttered Kakashi disappearing in a cloud of smoke before thy could capture him.

"We'll have to figure out what to do with him later." Sakura said. "I'm going to catch an early night so I'll see you tomorrow, ok."

"Do you want me to walk you home?" asked Naruto.

"Sure, if it's not much trouble." She replied.

"Not really. Your house is on the way home." Naruto said.

"No it's not, it's in the completey opposite direction." Sakura said laughing at his weak attempt to walk her home.

"We'll then I'll just be taking the long way."

"Well alright, but don't try anything perverted." She laughed.

"Ok, I promise!" he said.

They leave Tsunade's office and head off in the direction of Sakura's house. When they get there, they walk to the front porch and say goodnight.

"Thanks for making sure I got home alright." said Sakura.

"No big deal." said Naruto, scratching the back of his head.

"Earlier…it was nice of you to…stick up for me." She said noticing Naruto's expression change slightly.

"What's the matter?"

"Well… oh nothing" she said opening the door to go inside. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah sure, how about lunch after you're done with Tsunade."

"Fine, but don't laugh if I look weird tomorrow." She said.

"I won't, I promise." He said looking serious. "We'll goodnight Sakura-Chan."

"Goodnight"

As she walks inside and Naruto turns to leave, he feels someone rush up to him and give him a hug. But as he turns to look there is no one in sight and the light on Sakura's porch is out. As he walks off for his long trek home, he thinks maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to walk her home after all.

In her room, Sakura lies down on her pillow and thinks about what happened today and whether her feelings will change for Sasuke and Naruto. She also thinks about what the "mission" for tomorrow is going to be like. As she talks herself through all this, and pulls up her covers, she thinks about her life and how it IS changing for better or worse.

(End Chapter 4)

Is Sakura falling for Naruto?"

Will Naruto follow Sakura tomorrow and try to find out Tsunade's real motives?

Will he get caught?

All this and more in chapter 5

Please review and let me know what you think. Starting next chapter I'm gonna try to post replies to reviews with the chapters. No promises though and sorry for the 4 ½ month drop off. I've been MASSIVELY busy…

Till next chapter…


	5. Chapter5: No shirt,No shoes,Full service

**Chapter 5: No shirt, No shoes, Full service…** The next day… 

Sakura awoke still feeling odd from the night before. She remembered her meeting with Tsunade and got up to get ready for the day. She saw her clock, which read 7:15.

"Ah good, I still got about 2 hours before I gotta leave." she said. "I better start now, you know how long us girls take to get ready!" (snicker!) I better put on something nice so I don't get any harder of a time from Tsunade. She finished, reaching for a newer shirt.

On the other side of town, Naruto was making some preparations of his own… 

"Video check one." observed Naruto.

"Check." came the reply.

"Sound check two." said Naruto

"Sound checked." came the reply. "Just don't move around to much or we'll lose reception."

"Fine fine, relax. I know what I'm doing, I've used this kinda stuff before."

"Just be sure to listen to what I say exactly or else you could get us both caught." said the perverted hermit Jiraiya.

"You don't want to be on the receiving end of Tsunade's anger, trust me!"

"Just keep that in mind, if I get caught cause of you, you're going down with me!" said Naruto.

They finish packing their equipment and head for the mall.

Back at Sakura's house… 

She has just gotten out of the shower and was still a little disoriented.

"_Where did my towel go? I know I put it here somewhere._" she thought. "_My mom just left for a 2 week cruise in the village of waves. I could probably throw a little party and still have time to clean up afterwards if I'm smart about it. She shouldn't be back for another week or so._" she continued finding her towel on the countertop where she had left it. "Ah, here it is." she exclaimed. "Now where did my toothbrush get too?"

She finishes getting dressed with minimal problems and quickly brushes her hair and finds her favorite pair of undies. She notices the time and freaks out…

"Jeez, it's already 8:55. I better hurry up and get going." She says, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail to keep it out of her eyes.

Back with Naruto and Jiraiya… 

"I just finished setting up the last of the sensory equipment. If Sakura and Tsunade enter any girls store, we'll know."

"Good were you seen?" asked Jiraiya.

"I don't think so, but one of the store clerks in Dateayebayo's was keeping a close eye on me." Naruto said. "I was in disguise, but it's hard acting like a lady all the time." (You're welcome! ;)

Naruto would have to be the one out in the field because Jiraiya was known throughout the mall as a pervert. And the fact that he would do weird things to the other women usually gave him away…

As soon as Naruto found Sakura, he would 'accidentally' turn off his equipment and say that it malfunctioned. He had no plans to share what he saw with Jiraiya. He was just using him to find them. After they entered the first shop he could track them easily enough without being noticed.

"Speak of the devils!" came Jiraiya's voice. "Here they come now!"

"Right! I see them." replied Naruto.

Tsunade and Sakura both walk through the door laughing at a joke that was just made.

Naruto watched them walking down the midway, looking at some of the jewelry and trinkets that were on sale in the portable carts. Then all of a sudden Tsunade grabs Sakura's arm and pulls her towards the store called…

"**Konoha's Secret!"** said Jiraya, "The co-ordinates are…"

"You don't need to tell me, I saw where they went." Naruto said. "_It looks like Tsunade has been here before! EWWW. Nasty!_" he thinks stopping himself before his mind went any further.

"I remember the time me and Tsunade went to a store like that to get her some lacy under-things." noted Jiraiya reminiscently.

"GAWD! I didn't need to know that! That's just disgusting!" He replied getting sick to his stomach thinking about it.

"I'm going in!" he continued, "Watch my exit point! If I don't come out…tell Konhamaru…that he's an idiot!" he finished.

"Can do partner!" came the reply.

As Naruto entered the Konha's Secret store, he was immediately intercepted by one of the clerks.

"Hello sir, how may I help you?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm here looking for…uhh…umm." stuttered Naruto.

"Say you're looking for something for your girlfriend! Quickly!" said Jiraiya through the earpiece.

"Yeah, uh a umm…" he continued.

"Are you looking for a gift for that special someone?" she asked. "It's ok, is this your first time in a place like this?"

"Uh…yeah!" he replied, mentally sighing.

"If you describe her a little, I can probably help you find something she'll like." She said smiling again.

"Umm, no thanks. I got something kinda specific in mind." he said.

"Ohh, ok. If you need anything I'll be right over there." She said smiling one last time and turning to the back of the store to help someone else.

"Ok, thanks." Naruto said.

"Jeez that was close, you're terrible at this!" said Jiraiya.

"Shuttup, ok. I was caught off guard when she first saw me and I didn't have anything prepared." He whispered into the hidden microphone. "Anyway, let's find Tsunade and Sakura before they leave again."

"Anyway… they're in a little farther in and directly to your left." Jiraiya said, "Remember, you CAN"T get caught or we're done!"

"I know already, just please, stop talking. I think I've found where they are anyway." Naruto saw Tsunade holding up a lacy black bra that wouldn't fit Sakura unless she had gotten a boob job while he was away! He thought putting 2+2 together and getting sick to his stomach.

"Ooh let me see, turn on visuals!"

"Slow your role a second, don't wet yourself in excitement!" Naruto replied smiling at his own joke. I think I see Sakura picking up some REALLY hot panties, and a pretty low cut shirt!"

Naruto hears someone walking near where he's hiding. "Crap I think someone saw me!" He lied, turning off the video.

"_WOW! That would be so hot on her._" Naruto thought. "_It must be for her boyfriend!_" Naruto starts to feel down and thinks, "_She'd probably never go out on a real date with me unless out of pity. Especially now!_"

"Hey Naruto! The visuals went out again." Came the voice in his ear. He ignores him and turns of the sound from the earpiece now that he found Sakura, he could do the rest by himself.

"I wonder what he'd think of me in this?" Naruto hears Sakura ask herself.

"_She is shopping for her boyfriend!_" he thought get depressed.

"I wonder if he'll like this shirt and skirt, whenever I put one on, I feel like a breeze is blowing between my legs!"

Naruto saw what she meant, from his position he could almost… "_No this isn't right!_" he told himself. "I shouldn't be doing this." He said just barely audible.

But as he was getting ready to leave, Sakura comes over to where the rack he's hiding in and starts looking through the clothes he's hiding behind. "_Crap, if she sees me, I'll be killed._" He thought. "_I gotta figure a way out of this quickly!_"

Just as Sakura was about to move the last piece of clothes shielding him from sight, Tsunade calls from the other side of the store…

"Hey Sakura, come here for a sec. I want you to try this on." she says.

"Thank you granny Tsunade!" he said. "A second later and I would have been caught!"

He saw Sakura go back to the changing room with the clothing Tsunade handed her. Naruto wrestled with himself, but finally decided to do a little 'undercover' investigation. He changed into a girl and followed her into the changing room and took the stall next to hers.

"_I can hear her changing._" he thought, his heartbeat picking up. " I really shouldn't look but…" As he looks under the divider (of course), Sakura's shirt falls to the ground startling him, and causing him to jump in surprise and hit the opposite divider wall.

"_Holy Crap! That scared the hell outta me!_" he thought.

"Are you ok?" comes Sakura's voice from the next stall over.

Naruto was freaking out and his heart was racing enough already as he says, "Yes, I'm fine. I just thought I saw something on the floor is all" he replies in the best females voice he could muster. "Thanks though!" he finished lamely.

He heard Sakura changing back, and gathering up her stuff, he was to afraid to leave until after she did in case she saw him on the way out. He didn't want to get caught in any longer of a conversation in case she figured out he wasn't really a female! When she finally leaves, he sneaks out and heads for the exit dropping the disguise as soon as he's through the door, but as he does, who else but Tsunade and Sakura come walking out behind him.

Naruto quickly ducks behind the nearest bench and transforms into…

"Lee!" exclaims Sakura, "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Sakura-chan, you look very pretty" Naruto/Lee says. "Would you like to go on a date later?"

"No!" Sakura yells and punches Naruto/Lee in the face, sending him flying across the mall.

"**STOP ASKING!"** She yells after him.

Later at Ichiraku's Ramen shop Naruto walks up to meet Sakura for lunch and…

"Naruto, what happened to you?" she asks barely concealing a smile.

"Well I got into this fight with like 6 HUGE guys and they all jumped be at the same time and I got all of them but one who hit me in the face with a board." Naruto says pointing to the bandage.

"Liar!" she replied standing up to kiss him on the cheek. "That's for saying I was cute earlier." She said.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked.

"I thought I caught sight of you jump behind the bench 'Lee' jumped from." Naruto was surprised she had figured it out so easily. "But I wasn't sure till I saw the bandage… What were you doing there anyway?"

"I was just curious what your 'secret' mission was." he replied. "Damn, I didn't think you'd figure it out so easily!"

"Well maybe it wasn't such a bad thing you didn't." she said. "Now lets eat! I'm starving after all that shopping!"

**End Chapter 5**

Will Sakura find out the truth about what Naruto was really doing at the mall?

Will Naruto get to go on an actual date with Sakura or is he doomed to always be 'Just Friends'?   
And will Naruto be able to escape Jiraiya's wrath when he finds him?


	6. Chapter 6: The Aftermath

**Chapter 6: The Aftermath**

A couple days after Naruto's and Sakura's date, Naruto is retelling the story of what happened to him while spying on Sakura at the mall.

"I'm serious man, she walked up to me, called me a liar and kissed me!" he said.

"Whatever, okay. Don't even try to lie!" said Shikamaru.

"Yeah and the best thing is that later Sakura is having a sleepover at her house later." Naruto says completely ignoring Shikamaru's disbelief.

"Whoa what did you say?" asked Shikamaru all of a sudden VERY attentive. "Maybe we should pay them a visit!"

"Ooh, good idea!" agreed Naruto.

Naruto and Shikamaru throw on some dark clothes and some tennis shoes and head off to Sakura's house to pay a visit!

"Oh hi Hinata, how are you? asked Sakura.

Sakura had been shopping for dinner and some snacks and had run into Hinata while looking for stuff to buy while her mom was still away.

"Pretty good, I've been chilling out at the house lately. Why?" she replied.

"No reason. By the way, are you still training with your dad and Neji?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah a bit, why?" Hinata asks. "What are you buying?" Hinata says a little scared at what she sees, looking into Sakura's basket.

"Mostly just some stuff to eat and some stuff for a sleepover I'm having tonight. she replied, "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you come also. You should get some time away from the boys at home for a bit." Sakura says smiling.

"Okay, sounds good. When is it?" Hinata asks.

"Tonight at about 7:30 is when it should be starting." Said Sakura. "I'll see you later at my house." she says heading to the check-out.

Back at Naruto and Shikamaru's side of the story…

"Flashlights? Why do we need flashlights?" Naruto says looking through the backpack of stuff Shikamaru brought.

"Just in case alright, I don't want to be stuck without something vital." Shikamaru said.

"Whatever…" Naruto replied.

"Night Vision Goggles."

"Oh God, why am I not surprised that you would have something like these." Naruto says.

"Are you finished? It's getting late and we need to get going NOW!" Shikamaru said.

"Alright alright, lets go already. I just can't figure why we'll need all this stuff." Naruto says putting everything back into the bag.

At Sakura's House….

"Okay, it's 7:20 and everyone will start arriving soon. Is everything ready?" Sakura asks herself for the fourth time.

Sakura continues to get ready as the doorbell rings and she opens it to find…

"Hi Naruto, what do you want? Make it quick I got stuff to do." She says.

"Uuh…" was all that came out, Naruto turning bright red.

"What!"

"You might want to take a look down." Naruto said looking upper at the porch roof.

Sakura does as she is told and screams! Where were here pants? She had forgot to put them on with all the rushing she had done. She rushes upstairs…

"Oh my God! I just saw Sakura in her panties!"(For the second time!) "_That was sweet!_" Naruto thought.

"Oh my God! Naruto just saw me in my panties!" Sakura said. "Bloody Hell, now I'm gonna look like a well respected female member of society!" (Yes, I'm making a joke. In a british accent I might add!)

She rushed upstairs and got some clothes on and ran back down to open the door and yell at Naruto, but he was nowhere to be found and in his place was Ino and Hinata.

"Where did that little…" Sakura started.

Ino and Hinata slide past Sakura and give each other a look of "_What was that all about?_"

"Umm, hello to you too." said Ino.

"Hi." said Hinata.

Hinata shrugs and wispers, "That was weird…"

"It was SO awesome. I saw her in nothing but her panties." Naruto says.

"Damn, you fudge muffin. I hate you! You should have taken a picture or something!" exclaimed Shikamaru angrily.

"She was hot!" Naruto says rubbing it in.

Shikamaru looks at him levely and says, "I really hate you right now, you know!"

"Whatever. For now let's just get this done, okay." Naruto replies.

"Yeah okay, lets go. Theres Ino and Hinata now." Shikamaru says jumping up onto Sakura's roof.

"Nice, lets go!" says Naruto.

Hinata and Ino follow Sakura upstairs to her room…

"WOW! This palce sure has changed since I was last here!" Ino says surprised at the new décor.

"Thanks for inviting me." said Hinata kinda embarrassed.

"No worries. I figured you could use a little time away from home and from any guys!" Sakura says.

"Yeah come on, it's not like you're at your first sleepover or anything." Ino says laughing.

Hinata turns visibly red and looks away. Ino sees she hurt her and trys to apoligize but Sakura beats her too it.

"No way!" Sakura says. "It's okay, not everyone has time to fool around during the day." she quickly covers.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Ino says giving Sakura a meaningful look.

"Well lately I've been kinda holed up practicing and haven't had much time for fun." Hinata says looking more embarrassed than ever.

"No problem, we can fix that for you." Ino says.

"Yeah from now on whenever one of us has a sleepover, you're invited. Okay?" Sakura says.

"It's not a big deal. You don't have to invite me if you don't want too." Hinata says.

"No, we should have thought to invite you more often." For now, lets just play some games." Sakura says pulling a bottle off the shelf. "Guys can be such idiots! You need to get away every so often."

Hinata laughs rather nervously, eyeing the bottle Sakura is holding. Sakura and Ino sit down and put the bottle between them and beckon Hinata to sit also.

"We're gonna play Ninja-Pirate Truth and Dare." Sakura says spinning the bottle.

Hinata sees something out the window as she sits, but decides to ignore it for now…

"I think Hinata saw you dude!" Shikamaru says pulling Naruto away for the window.

"What? Crap I hope not, if Sakura finds out I could get killed!" Naruto says panicking.

"Oh, afraid your 'girlfriend' is gonna find out you're spying on her?" Shikamaru says mockingly.

"Shut up! I think it's starting anyway. GRAGH!" is all that manages to come out of Naruto's mouth as he looks in the window.

"What? What do you see? Move!" says Shikamaru pushing Naruto to the side. "Oh my God! I can't believe it…"

(End Chapter 6)

What is it that shocked Naruto AND Shikamaru?

Will the other girls find out that the guys are spying on them before they see something good?

And what are the rules of Ninja-Pirate Truth and Dare?

Authors Note:

Sorry about not posting a new chapter last week, but my internet has been down and I couldn't post anything new. Please review and let me know of any problems or if you have encouragement. I'm trying to post a new chapter every week. No promises though!

Next weeks installment:

Chapter 7: Looking Into the Window


	7. Chapter 7: Looking into the Window!

**Chapter 7: Looking into the Window!**

Naruto looks through the window into the antics of the sleepover when…

"Oh my God! They're stripping!" Naruto whispers shocked at what he's seeing.

In actuality, only Ino was stripping and only down to her underwear. Shikamaru pushes Naruto to the side to get a better look.

"Wow! I knew she was 'well endowed' but man, I could have never guessed by that much!" he said drooling.

"She's almost as big as Sakura is." Said Naruto.

"How would you know?" Shikamaru said looking at him.

"Think back, I saw her in her underwear like 10 minutes ago man! I remember a few years ago Sakura and Ino didn't really have anything to talk about." Naruto says shaking his head laughing.

"Yeah, they definitely got bigger in all the right places while you were away!" Shikamaru said smiling.

Naruto raises his eyebrow and looks at Shikamaru with a sidelong glance.

"What? I can't notice that they've gotten bigger in good places?"

Naruto shakes his head and mumbles, "Pervert!"

"Getting back to why we're here…" Shikamaru says.

"Yeah, here's the video camera." Naruto says looking back in the window.

"Where did you get this?" asked Shikamaru.

"I grabbed it on the way out, I thought we could use it!" replied Naruto.

Shikamaru raises the window a bit to let them in…

Inside the party with the girls: (begin slight flashback…)

"Hahaha, I can't believe she did that!" said Sakura.

Hinata smiles and blushes thinking of how wrong this would look from the outside…

'Ding Dong! Ding Dong!' went the doorbell downstairs.

"Oh man I forgot to ask, but I saw Tenten at that new pizza place and accidentally let it slip about the

sleepover tonight. I'm sorry! It's okay that I invited her right?" Ino said in one quick breath.

"Yeah it's fine, the more the merrier!" Sakura said heading downstairs to get the door.

Ino quickly pulled her clothes back on and Hinata attempted to fix her hair a little.

"Hi guys, I'm not to late for the fun am I?" asked Tenten.

"No, not at all!" laughed Ino thinking of how she was dressed (or lack thereof) not 5 seconds ago.

"We were just getting ready to grab some food." Said Hinata.

"Sweet, I didn't have time to eat before coming over." Tenten drops her stuff at the door as they pass.

"Bloody Hell! I mean, damn! They're leaving the room." Said Naruto. "Oh and Tenten is here." He points out.

"What? Let's follow them. Come on!" Shikamaru says excitedly, grabbing Naruto with his free hand, and opens the window.

How much more excited could a boy peeking in on some teen girls be?

(end flashback…)

"Alright we gotta be absolutely silent or who knows what would happen to us!" Shikamaru says.

"Alright, I know! I've been hit by Sakura 3 times this week already." Naruto says rubbing his face and ribs.

"I think I hear them downstairs."

"What are they listening to?" asks Naruto silently.

"Oh God! It's Backstreet Nins! I thought all their CDs were destroyed when we burned them at the stake!" Shikamaru said horrified.

"They must have gotten a copy of it off E-nin! I thought they were all destroyed also!" Naruto said covering his ears.

"Please just stab me now! I can't stand this music anymore! Good God!" Shikamaru said starting to tear up.

"Let's try to get a little closer and see where that horrid music is coming from!" Naruto said appalled at what he had to do.

Naruto and Shikamaru sneak closer, the music seems to be coming from the kitchen.

"They're in here." Naruto says, opening the door slightly to get a better look.

Naruto and Shikamaru look in to see Hinata in a towel and Sakura and Ino are applying a green pasty substance to Tenten's face. Shikamaru points to a door on the other side and mouths that Naruto should stay here.

As Shikamaru turns and leaves, Naruto hears in the kitchen…

"I'll be back in a few minutes, where is the bathroom Sakura?" Hinata asks.

"Upstairs, the third door on the right after you turn left." replies Sakura.

"Thanks, I'll be back in a minute." Hinata says.

As Naruto sees Hinata heading for the door he's hiding behind, he tries to move but Hinata comes through the swinging doors before he finds a place to hide.

"Uhhh… ummm…" Naruto says caught unprepared.

Hinata has stood in the doorway for a few seconds now, holding the door ajar, and the other girls notice this.

"What's the matter?" Sakura asks.

"Uhh nothing, I was just spacing a bit. Sorry." Hinata says.

Naruto looks at Hinata gratefully for not ratting him out and wonders why. Hinata walks over to him and lets the door close behind her before saying,

"I know where you can hide, but you owe me!" she whispered.

"Okay, what do I owe you?" he asks.

"That doesn't matter, just come with me! Hurry!" she says.

(End Chapter 7)

What happened to Shikamaru?

What will Naruto have to do to keep from getting caught?

What was the green pasty stuff that was on Tenten's face?

Find out in the next chapter:

Chapter 8: Going into the Closet! (lol)

Authors Note: Chapter 8 is gonna be a little shorter because I'm actually writing slower than I'm typing right now. So I'm trying to write more chapters and break them up a **little** more. Mostly to stay away from paper to type style writing. (so I have time to edit it! If you didn't already know.) I've finished writing Chapter 12 yesterday and I'm working on 13 now!


	8. Chapter 8: Going into the Closet lol!

**Chapter 8: Going into the Closet (lol!)**

"Here follow me, I'll explain my terms fir hiding you in a minute." Hinata said.

"Uh…okay." Naruto replies.

She leads him upstairs and through the door of the kitchen comes Sakura looking for Hinata.

"Hinata where are you?" calls Sakura.

"In here…, I'll let you know when it's safe to come out. Just stay quiet." Hinata whispers pushing him into the nearby closet.

"Are you okay? Where are you?" says Sakura coming up the stairs.

"I'm up here." says Hinata. " Where did you say the bathroom was?"

"It's right here." says Sakura opening the door a little farther down the hall and flipping on a light.

"Thanks, I was just looking around trying to find it. Sorry about that." Hinata replies entering the bathroom.

"Don't take too long, you'll miss your turn!"

"I won't. Don't worry about it." Hinata replied

Sakura heads back downstairs, Hinata walks back over to the closet and opens the door. Naruto trys to leave, but Hinata is blocking his path. She squeezes in and is pushed right up against him. Naruto notices she's still wearing a towel…

"Uhhhhh" Naruto stutters, noticing her ill covered teenaged body. Hinata smiles at him staring.

"You know, this is only the second time I've seen you since you've gotten back, and I have you all to myself already. Lucky me!" she says.

"Yeah, lucky you… WAIT! Did you say SECOND time?" He asks.

"Well I mean I saw you when you first got back but I didn't want to get in the way of you getting your new mission." She replies turning slightly red.

"So it was you in the alley, I knew I wasn't imagining things!" Naruto said happy with himself.

"Shhhssshhh! Don't be so loud, the other girls will hear you! I would have talked to you sooner, but well for a while now… I've really liked you!" she said looking away.

"What? Wow, I'm kinda whoo! Yeah, I never gave that much thought!" he said slightly embarrassed.

"That's okay, I liked cheering you on from the background. But that can be different now. We can see each other more often." Hinata pushes herself closer to him.

"Ummm, well I don't really know what to say. But… yeah!" he replied swiftly.

"Then don't say anything!" she said, pushing herself closer and leaning up to kiss him.

Naruto was slightly shocked at having this happen in the house of the girl he had liked for so long. She reached her arms around him and pulled him in tighter. She suddenly pulled away because noise from downstairs was starting to drift upwards to them. Naruto looked slightly saddened at having to stop so soon.

"I have to go, maybe we can finidh this… conversation later." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, sometime soon, maybe." He said slightly dazed.

Hinata left him in the closet and he sunk to the floor, trying to figure out how all that had happened.

"_I gotta find Shikamaru._" He thought.

When he got downstairs, he finds the girls sitting down in front of the T.V. watching a moderately sappy movie on

CSPAN (Crappy Stupid Pirates Against Ninjas) network. He looked around and couldn't find him anywhere and he couldn't stay much longer without getting caught. So Naruto goes back upstairs, and finds the window they came through in Sakura's room and leaves, heading for home. When he gets there, he takes off his clothes, takes a quick shower and heads for bed.

The next day, he'd find Shikamaru and tell him what happened in the closet… Or maybe he'd just keep this one to himself and not let anyone know how hot Hinata was in that towel up close. The only problem was, the next time he saw Sakura, would he be able to act the same around her? He wondered if she'd be mad if she found out what happened… he hoped she'd never find out.

(End Chapter 8)

Is Naruto falling for Hinata… Finally?

What will Sakura have to say, if she ever finds out?

Where did Shikamaru go… again?

(Authors Note: Sorry about the shortness of the chapter, but this ends the part of the series that was hardest to write. Also, please don't leave reviews of: "Update often" or "Really good". Please be a little more specific, I'm always happy for a little help and a little less mail to open in my in-box!) Thanks for the support: Author Guy-Dude!


	9. Chapter 9: title too long! sorry!

**Chapter 9: You can hide, but you can't Run!**

The next morning, Naruto wakes up to a clink…clink…clink on his window. He gets up, rubs his eyes and walks over.

"Good morning, Yawns Sakura-chan." Naruto says not fully awake yet.

"Hey, hurry up and get ready. You promised to take me out to breakfast this morning." She said.

"Huh? Oh yeah, okay. I'll be out in a few." He replies.

"Alright, I'm gonna head over to Ichiraku's. They serve breakfast on the weekends."

"Okay okay, I'll meet you there." Naruto shuts the window and goes to take a shower.

Naurto quickly gets ready and grabs a T-shirt instead of his regular jacket because the weather had been getting warmer with Summer coming.

"That was one hell of a crazy night last night." Naruto says. "I hope Shikamaru got out of there okay."

Naruto sees Chouji turn the corner and smile when he sees Naruto.

"I heard you had a 'fun' night last night." He says with a smirk.

"What about it? And who told you?" Naruto asks.

"Oh just a little birdie. So, what was it like?" he asked.

"What part?"

"All of it! I heard Shikamaru couldn't find you after you guys split up in her house." Chouji said curiously.

"That's not any of your business." Naruto replied sharply, not wanting to think about it this early.

"Ouch, I was just curious. Don't tear off my head over it." He says looking a little hurt, he walks past Naruto frowning slightly.

"Makes me think something happened!" he smiles as he heads into a little shop on the corner, disappearing again from view,

Naruto turns to apologize for yelling, but is still a little groggy and doesn't want to make it worse. So he just heads on his way to meet Sakura.

Naruto gets to Ichiraku's and finds Sakura sipping on a glass of orange juice in the far left stool.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. I didn't sleep to good last night." He says, sitting down next to her.

"It's okay, I waited to order till you got here." She says smiling.

"Ahh, good. I was afraid you'd eat without me. I'm starved." He replies ordering Blueberry Pancakes.

Sakura orders some Rye toast and grabs for the jelly.

"I got it!" Naruto says also reaching for it.

Their hands touch and they both look at each other and blush.

"Ah, to be in love again!" the proprietors daughter says smiling, setting their food down in front of them.

They both blush even deeper, and it's quiet for a few minutes while they start eating their food.

"Umm, sorry about that." Naruto says.

"No, it's okay. I should have asked you grab it for me." She says.

"By the way, you left your Kunai kit out on the field the other day, I have it at my house if you wanna come get it." She continued.

"Yeah, alright. We can go after we finish." He says shoveling pancake into his mouth.

Sakura quietly finishes her toast as Naruto gets out his Frog Wallet.

(Maybe that's what happened to Kermit?)

"Thanks for breakfast." Sakura says getting up.

"No big deal, I got a little money from some odd jobs I've been doing." He says.

"From what I can see, you have more than a 'little' extra money" she says peering over his shoulder.

"Ehh… Do you want to head to your house now, or do some other stuff first?" he asks.

"Let's head around a bit first, there's a sale at Konoha's Secret and I wanna look around." She says

"Uhh…umm" Naruto says articulately while turning red.

"I'll take that as a yes that you're coming along." She says grabbing his hand and running off laughing.

"And stop imagining me in my underwear, you'll see me in it soon enough." She says laughing even more.

Naruto turns cherry red at the thought of Sakura in her underwear and trys to keep pace.

As they enter the store, Naruto is relieved to find that the clerk who greeted him last time is nowhere in sight.

"Hurry up! I wanna try some of the stuff on. I need a guys opinion on what to get." She says looking to see if he'll blush any deeper.

"Okay…" he says uneasily.

"That's okay. You're face will tell me if it looks any good or not. Just sit down in the chair over there and relax." She says, walking towards the back of the store.

"Well, I can do that much at least." He says sinking into the chair.

He sits there for about 25 minutes, when finally he hears Sakura tell him she's ready to come out.

"Ready?" she asks.

"Yeah, I think so." He replies.

She walks out wearing black lace panties that show off a good bit of her hips and a bra that covers about the same amount of her considerable bust.

"WOW!" Is all Naruto manages to get out. He's easily stunned at what she's wearing! She blushes at his stare.

"This is something I thought was really nice." She said visibly embarrassed at wearing so little clothing in public. "I saw it before, but it's on sale now so I thought I'd come here to get it." She says.

"Wow!" Naruto says again, still recovering from shock.

"Stop, I don't look that good in this." She says waving a hand at him.

"No, you don't look good. You look perfect in that!" he replies finally able to talk again.

"You think so? I guess it is pretty nice!" she says.

Sakura noticed his reaction and took it as a good thing, she goes back and goes to get changed back into her normal clothes. (Naruto is disappointed!)

"I'll be right back, and then we can get out of here." She says.

"Oh, okay." Naruto says now sad at having to leave so soon.

A few minutes later, Sakura walks back out wearing her normal clothes and carrying the stuff she just had on.

"I'm gonna get these, I'll meet you out front okay."

"Alright." Naruto says, having fully recovered.

As he walks out, he sees Ino walking out of a gift shop up the way a little.

"Hey Naruto, how's it going? What are you doing here?" she asks.

"Just uhh… hanging out." He says not wanting to tell her where he had just been.

"What were YOU doing in there?" she asks with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile.

"Hey Ino, what's up?" Sakura asks walking out of the store, holding a small box.

"Were you guys in there together?" Ino asks, her eyebrows crawling higher up her forehead.

"Yeah, Naruto was helping me find some things, I asked him to help me today." Sakura replies. "Why?"

"Oh how the mighty have fallen, I remember a time when that never would have happened." Ino said laughing.

"Oh grow up, Ino. It's not like we're 6 anymore."Sakura replies. "Act your age, not your shoe size."

"Ooh, tuff words. I'll leave you two lovers alone!" Ino says walking off.

"Sorry about that." Says Naruto.

"It's not your fault, Ino's just jealous." She says, looping her arm through his.

Naruto looks at her and raises her eyebrows.

"What? If we're gonna be accused of something, we might as well act the part." She says pulling him in tighter.

"We better get going, it's already getting late and I got some things I have to do today." He says obviously embarrassed at having a girl hang on his arm like this.

Sakura takes it in stride and nods her agreement as they walk off, her arm still linked in his.

When they get back, Sakura opens the door and throws the keys on the table. She then heads upstairs saying,

"My mom is still supposed to be away for another week or so, I'm gonna take a quick shower. You be a good boy and stay down here, okay?"

"What? Sure, okay. No problem." He replies walking over to the bookshelf by the door. He starts 'leaf'ing through some of the magazines and stops every so often to read some of the articles.

He sees a picture of Sakura when she was younger. Standing behind her is her mom and someone who looks a lot like her. From upstairs he suddenly hears a door creek open slightly and hears Sakura say…

"Could you come up here for a moment? I need some help."

"Yeah sure, one second."

Naruto quickly places the book back on the shelf and walks upstairs.

"Where are you?" he calls.

"In here." Comes her voice from the bathroom.

"Umm, what's the matter?" he asks reluctant to get any closer to the door.

"Come in here for a sec, I need your help." She replies.

"Okay, should I cover my eyes?" he asks.

"No, your gonna need them!" she says.

Thoughts race to his mind that would come to any normal person in this situation, but he pushes them aside and enters.

"What's do you need?" he asks nervously.

"Just my towel." She says. "It's on the counter over there." She points towards the counter behind him.

"It's hard to see in all this mist, are you sure you put it here?" he asks groping around trying to find the requested item.

"Oh, here it is." She says laughing reaching around him.

Naruto by now has noticed that even through the mist, he can see a good portion of her body and it's not too bad… Sakura notices his inability to look away from her.

"What? You act like you've never seen a naked woman before." She says mockingly.

Naruto's fae truns bright red and FINALLY looks away and seems to have trouble standing up.

"OH! You've never seen a girl like this before have you?" says smiling, "I can fix that for you."

Naruto turns even brighter at the thought of this. The mist form the shower was slowly dissipating and Sakura was covered by it even less because of it.

"I don't have a problem with it, but I think…"

"Don't think!" She says pushing herself against him, pinning him to the wall. She kisses him hard and for what seems like an eternity and finally they break apart if only for air. Naruto has stopped being nervous. He wonders how he can get her to keep going, but before he can formulate a plan. He faints…

The next morning, he wakes up… and he's not in his bed… and not even in his own room or house. He can't remember why he's here and what happened last night. But as he sits up Sakura comes in, wearing pajamas and carrying a breakfast tray with some eggs and pancakes on it.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I made different things. Is this okay?" she says.

"Yeah, …yeah it's fine." He says rubbing his temples. "What happened?" he asks her.

She looks away and replies, "You were walking me home again and fainted on my doorstep, I brought you in here and let you sleep. I must have warn you out more than I thought…sorry." She says.

"Okay…I don't really remember the end of yesterday, but I had the strangest dream last night." He says.

"What about?" she asks, seeing if he remembered anything at all.

"I'm not sure… it's all a little…misty!" he says, looking off into the distance.

"What time is it anyway?" he asks.

"About 11:30, you slept thorough most of the morning…" she said.

"WHAT! I gotta get going! I'm late, I'll see you later." He says jumping out of bed.

He heads for the door and she follows him saying,

"Wait, you might not being feeling well enough to walk yet!"

"I'm fine, I'll see you later." He says walking for the door and going outside. He stops suddenly but doesn't turn around, and says,

"Thanks for taking care of me last night. It must have been a bother trying to get me into a bed upstairs. That was really rude of me to do. I'll make it up to you sometime." He says, turning around to face her.

"It's alright, it was my pleasure." She says with a smile.

Naruto looks a little confused but is runnig late and doesn't have time to waste so he says goodbye and heads off.

Sakura is a little sad to see him go but she's happy in the fact that she can use her wiles to get a guy to notice her, even if he won't remember in the morning. She closes the door…

(End Chapter 9)

What was Sakura's goal for last night?

Will Naruto ever remember it, or be doomed to forgetting it forever?

And what will Hinata do if she finds out what Sakura did last night?

Where does this leave Naruto?

Next part…

Chapter 10: The Secrets are Revealed!

Authors Note: Yay! Chapter 10 already! Sorry about this chapter being slightly late. I was up the night before typing something for Chemistry, and I didn't get the chance to finish this. So this one is extra long because of that! We're finally out of the chapter doldrums and on to better chapter in the coming weeks… Please review! More excitement to come!


	10. Chapter 10: The Secrets Come Out!

Chapter 10: The Secrets Come Out!

Naruto is still a little skittish after the weird dream he had the night before. It almost seemed real… He wonders if it could mean anything.

At the Hyuuga house, Hinata has had a weird feeling since the night before. She can't figure out why it won't go away, but she knows it has something to do with Naruto. She decides to go see Sakura and find out if there's something wrong with her… She arrives at Sakura's house and knocks on the door. Sakura answers wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts.

"Hey Hinata, what's up?" Sakura asks poking her head out.

I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing… and well I had some stuff I wanted to ask you about." Hinata replies.

"Alrighty, I just made some tea. Do you want some?" Sakura asks.

"Umm yeah, that's fine." Hinata says coming in.

"So what exactly is the problem?" Sakura asks pouring the tea.

"I'm not sure, I just have this weird feeling something is wrong. I think it has something to do with Naruto." She says

Sakura almost chokes on the tea she's drinking but manages to cover it with a cough.

"What do you mean?" she asks

"Well since last night, I've had this really bad feeling. It's almost like I'm gonna lose him somehow…like he's dieing or something, except he's not. Is that hard to understand?" Hinata says looking confused herself.

"Well maybe you should make a move on him soon, he has been back for a while you know. You might want to hurry before someone else does first. He's quite the catch since he came back you know." Sakura says smiling.

Hinata laughs at the thought and says, "Nah, I'm the only one crazy enough to have a crush on him for this long!"

Don't get too confident, or else someone might steal him out from under you." Sakura says smiling again.

"Like who?"

"Well… like me!" Sakura says embarrassed.

The smile Hinata had on disappears immediately to be replaced by a look of confusion.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asks.

"I mean that me and him have already been on a date and you haven't even told him how you feel yet." Sakura says.

Hinata smiles again, thinking about the recent closet incident. It seems that Sakura was still unknowing as to what happened at her own sleepover. Hinata felt it was wise not to bring this up quite yet.

"When?" she asks instead.

"Yesterday" Sakura replied.

"Whoa, you know I've liked him for years and now you're trying to take him from me!" she says losing her cool for a moment.

"Yeah, you were taking your time so I thought I'd make MY move instead." Sakura says smugly.

"I thought we were friends." Hinata says looking slightly saddened.

"We are, but does that mean we can't like the same guy?"

"Yes, I've liked him for ages. You've liked him for what, 4 weeks?" Hinata says miffed at Sakura's disregard for her feelings towards Naruto.

"But that doesn't mean he likes you!" Sakura says smiling again.

"What makes you say that?" Hinata asks.

"Oh nothing." Sakura says.

"I bet I can get him to go swimsuit shopping with me." Hinata says.

"Yeah right! Not in a million years." Sakura replies.

"I bet I can get him to take me to the beach too!" Hinata says planning how she was gonna ask him to go with her.

"You're on!" Sakura says jumping up.

Hinata and Sakura shake hands to close the bet and Hinata leaves to go find Naruto… Who is currently sitting in the Starchucks, the new secret ninja Café trying to remember what happened the night before.

"Thank God this place is so closeto Sakura's house or I might have passed out in the street. I'm really drained for some reason…" he says to himself looking out the window of the second floor.

"Jeez this has been one crazy week, first I get beat by Sakura, then Hinata and I make out in a closet, then I go on a date with Sakura… and I can't even remember what happened the when we got back to her house."

Naruto takes another sip of his Chai tea and leans back in his chair and looks down onto the street.

Outside he sees Hinata talking to a street vendor who points to the Café he's in right now.

"Oh crap, here she comes." He whispers trying to think of what he'll say.

Just then, Hinata comes up the stairs and spots him sitting at the table in the corner. She sits down across from him…

"Hi Naruto, how've you been?" she asks smiling.

"Okay, I guess." He says looking into his cup.

There's an akward silence between them, they both start to talk at the same time.

"I wanted too…"

"I didn't mean too…"

"You first." Naruto says gesturing with his hand.

"I was kind of forward with you the other day at Sakura's house, I was just so excited to see you after so long. I'm sorry." Hinata says blushing.

"No, it's alright. I shouldn't have been there in the first place. I should be the one apologizing." Naruto said looking into his cup again.

They both smile at each other and then Hinata says,

"Hey I'm going to the beach this weekend, do you want to come with?" she asks.

"Umm… I'm not sure. I was supposed to do some stuff this weekend." He sees the disappointment on her face, "Oh what the hell, I'll go with you!"

"Great, I gotta pick out a swimsuit, so why don't you come with and tell me which one you like?" she asks.

"Okay, I don't see any harm in that!" Naruto says.

"Great, I have to get going. I'll see you lets say… this Thursday. That'll give us plenty of time to find a good one. I'll meet you at the little bikini shop in town at 2:30. I'll see you later." Hinata gets up and leaves.

"Uhh… okay!" he says. "_Everyone has gotten nicer and definitely hotter since the last time I was here!_" Naruto thinks to himself.

Naruto is happy with himself aout having planned another date so soon after the first one he just had. Hopefully he'll be able to remember this one without any problems.

(End Chapter 10)

Yay! We're done with Chapter 10! I plan to write 5-10 more chapters depending on how many reviews I get between now and then. So review often! Next up is:

Chapter 11: Off to the Beach they Go.


	11. Chapter 11: Off to the Beach They Go!

Chapter 11: Off to the Beach They Go!

The next day, Naruto meets Hinata at the Ninja Swimsuits R Us. She looks through most of them, (like women do!) and picks up a dark blue 2 piece that would barely cover her unless she had a 3 inch waist!

(not that he was complaining! Of course…)

"So now that we're done here, why don't we grab something to eat? Are you hungry?" Hinata asks.

"Yeah, where do you want to go?" Naruto says looking around for somewhere other than a beefbowl.

"You're the man, you're supposed to have something in mind." She says looking at him expectantly.

"Hey, I hadn't given it much thought, I'm not great at this. Okay?" Naruto says defensively.

"Well how about there then?" Hinata replies pointing to a nice little Sushi/Grill place.

As they walk up, a woman opens the door and says, "Konnichiwa!"

(Good Afternoon! or Welcome! Depending on how you look at it.)

"Just 2 today?" asked the 2 hostess at the counter,

"Yeah, can we sit up at the bar?" asks Naruto.

"Right this way." The hostess replies leading the way.

The man behind the bar looks up and asks,

"What would you like?"

"Can I please have some Yakitori?" Hinata asks.

(Yakitori Grilled chicken and veggies on skewers.)

"I'll take some Shabu Shabu!" Naruto says.

(Shabu Shabu Sliced beef and veggies in a hot broth w/dipping sauces)

"And what would you like to drink?" asks the man.

"I'll take a glass of water." Hinata says.

"I'll have some… root beer please." Naruto says in turn. (How Exotic?)

"Okay, I'll be right back with your drinks." he says throwing there order on the grill and walking over to get the cups.

"So, what have you been up to since getting back?" Hinata asks innocently.

"Not much really, just catching up with everyone and relaxing mostly." he replies trying to avoid her gaze as he recalls the past couple of days.

She looks at him for a moment and then shrugs and goes back to looking around the restaurant shrugging.

"So what have you been up to since I've been away? Your hair has gotten longer and you look taller. But I haven't really been able to talk to you much since getting back." Naruto says blushing.

"Like you said, I've gotten taller and stuff but mostly I've trained. So I'm a lot stronger than I was before. I went on some more missions and as you know, I'm a Chunin now." she said.

"Sounds like you had fun, I got in a good bit of training while following Jiraiya around. So it wasn't to bad overall." He said looking over at her.

Here's your drinks, your food will be ready in a few minutes." The man said, setting their drinks in front of them.

"Thanks!" they said in unison.

"Now that my feelings are out, I've been thinking about you a lot! I've missed you!" Hinata says.

"Really? Uh that's nice…" Naruto says visibly nervous.

"Yeah, the whole reason I asked you to come with me this weekend is so we could be alone together." She says, reaching out and grasping his hand in hers. She then leans over and kisses him, this time on the cheek and whispers,

"I love you!"

Naruto is shocked at what she says and promptly falls off his stool, he gets up and brushes himself off.

As he looks over, he sees Hinata is laughing and she helps him up smiling at him warmly. "You don't have to tell me how you feel yet, just think about it. But I do want a reply sometime soon, it's impolite to keep a lady waiting too long you know."

He smiles back sitting again, a little mad at himself for being freaked out so easily. He runs his hand through his hair and sighs saying, "Whew, that was fun! Let's not do that again!" Hinata laughs again.

"You know, you're different outside. But on the inside, you're still the same old Naruto." She says, shaking her head.

"Thanks…" Naruto replies slightly saddened.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, I meant that you still have a little bit of your inner child left inside. It's a good thing."

"Hey that's not true!" Naruto says indignant at being called a little kid.

"Oh stop! I like it that you're a little predictable still! It makes you cute." She says running her hand across his face.

Naruto sticks his tongue out at her.

"Our foods about done… let's just relax till we get it. I don't want to have a heart attack on our first date." Naruto says in a more serious manner.

"Oh fine, you're no fun!" she replies smiling.

The rest of the mean goes about uneventful except for when Naruto thinks he sees another bug… They spend the rest of the day together looking in shop windows, getting ice-cream, and riding the kids merry-go-round for a laugh. Finally night falls and the stores are closing up…

"Man that was great, that was the most fun I've had with a girl…" Naruto exclaims.

"Interesting…" Hinata says with a wry smile that shows her tiredness.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you home?" Naruto asks, looking into her eyes.

"I'm okay, I'll see you Saturday. We'll meet at my house." She says walking off.

"Okay, I'll see you then." Naruto replies walking in the opposite direction.

Naruto gets home, flips on the T.V. and watches the Ninja Home Shopping Network till about 11 and finally decides to head off to bed to get some sleep before tomorrow. As soon as he hits the bed, he falls asleep…The next morning Naruto wakes up and looks at the clock… to see he's 10 minutes late! He jumps out of bed and grabs a quick shower, and his wallet and heads for the door. He hauls butt to Hinata's house and gets there about 40 minutes after he was supposed to meet her! He knocks afraid of what her reaction will be! (What sane guy wouldn't be afraid?)

Hinata comes to the door, still not completely ready and looking confused…

"Wow! You must be excited… You're 20 minutes early." She says.

"EARLY!" Naruto replies.

"You forgot to set your clock back last night, didn't you?" she asked.

Naruto looks embarrassed but understands what she means now.

"So it would seem… whoops!" he replies, "Sorry for yelling like that."

"It's all good. It's understandable, and it wasn't at me so much as in general." She replies letting him pass into her house. "I have to finfish getting ready, just wait here. Okay? Help yourself to the fridge if you're hungry."

"Alrighty." He says grabbing a bagel and a knife.

Hinata heads upstairs and Naruto grabs some Orange Juice from the fridge and sits down to eat his breakfast and wait. Hinata comes down wearing a

T-shirt and shorts as he is finishing up his breakfast.

"Where's your stuff?" he asks.

"Right here, I have everything I need right here." She says holding up the bag.

"Oh okay, do you want me to carry it?" he asks.

"Yes, please." She replies handing him the bag.

"Alright, are we ready… good, let's get going." Naruto says heading for the door and throwing his knife and cup into the sink.

Hinata locks the door and puts the keys in her pocket as they walk out. They leave heading for the beach, not noticing they are being followed. They get there and find a nice spot, not to far from the water. Naruto goes and rents a giant beach umbrella for them to lay under.

"This is nice! I wonder how the water feels?" she says running in about knee deep. "Oh God, this feels great! Naruto, come here and feel this!"

He walks in next to her and the water comes up to about 2/3s his calf. Hinata leans over and pushes him over, soaking his clothes, but not before he grabs her and pulls her down with him. They both come up, their clothes soaked all the way through.

"Uhh, whoops!" He says, seeing her bra through her shirt.

She seems oblivious to the fact that he can see through her shirt. She looks at her wet clothes and heads out of the water towards the bathrooms.

"I'm gonna change into my swimsuit, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." She says.

I'll be over here." Naruto says, getting out of the water himself.

She comes back, the swimsuit she had picked out the other day on except she looks hotter with it on rather than just holding it. She throws her wet stuff on top of the umbrella to dry and lays down on her towel. Naruto gapes, mouth ajar.

"Naruto, can you put this lotion on my back?" she asks untying her bikini top.

"Sure! One second." He says, mentally preparing himself.

Naruto bends down and starts rubbing in the lotion, Hinata makes approving noises as his hands move around her back. This doesn't help his resolve he thinks. He finally finishes, and she turns on her side, revealing part of her breast. She looks up at him, and signals for him to lay down next to her.

"Thanks." She says suddenly, rolling over on top of him. Her breasts are completely exposed as she says, "How about a little reward for your help?"

She leans down close and is about to kiss him when sand is kicked up in their direction. And there standing over them is…

(End Chapter 11)

No cliffhangers this time, but here's the title of the next part:

Chapter 12: Sakura's Plan…


	12. Chapter 12: Sakura's Plan!

Special A.N. : As of Chapter 12 (this chapter) I've actually started writing in a new book! This may not seem exciting to you, but to me who's been writing this story, this is a great achievement! It means that enough people have been reading this to actually make me want to write more. So… keep reviewing and I'll keep writing chapters.

Now on to the story…

Chapter 12: Sakura's Plan

(Back at Sakura's house a few minutes before Hinata left…)

"Good God! The idiot author, interrupting the story for something stupid like that! I need a new script writer! If you want the position, send the author an PM, trust me I'll get the message or there'll be hell to pay!" Sakura says complaining incessantly.

"Anyway, as I was saying…I can't let Naruto and Hinata have a perfect date or she'll rub it in my face forever. I'll have to go talk to Ino, she'll know what to do!"

Sakura heads off towards Ino's house locking the door behind herself,

she gets there and knocks on the door which Ino answers groggily…

"Hi Ino, I know it's early but could you help me with something? I need to ask you some things." Sakura says smiling.

Ino lets her in, mumbling about how she can never get any sleep when she has a free day.

"What do you need?" Ino asks pouring some coffee for herself.

Sakura fills in Ino on what has been happening, leaving out certain details, (cough cough) She tells her about the date between Naruto and Hinata and asks what she should do about it and what she thinks…

"Well, do you love him?" she asks.

"I think so, I feel different about him now then I did before he left." Sakura says trying to cover up her red cheeks, which Ino completely misses.

"Are you willing to fight for him?" Ino asks.

"Yes! Definitely." Sakura says curtly.

"Then what's your problem?" Ino asks slightly annoyed.

"I know Hinata has liked Naruto for longer then I have, and I was wondering if you thought it was right for me to try to take him from her?"

"Of course it isn't! If it turns out he likes you more than her, what does it matter?" Ino says speculatively. (ooh big word, crack out the dictionaries!)

"How do I get him to like me more?" Sakura asks

"That is something I can really help you with!" Ino says deviously.

With the instructions Ino gave her, Sakura sets out to the things she'll need. First she'll have to stop at the 'Cold Subject' store to pick up a few… items! She then goes to the surveillance outlet to get a NPS (ninja position system) tag to put on Naruto. Finally she gets some rope… and then heads for home.

A few days later on Friday, Sakura sees Hinata shopping in 'Ninja Way', the new supermarket. She quickly ducks behind a display of suntan lotion and adjusts herself to get a better view of Hinata. Suddenly Hinata turns and looks right at Sakura behind the display, but she doesn't see Sakura, just the suntan lotion she's hiding behind.

"Oh, this is a good deal. I should get this and work on my tan while I'm there." Hinata says.

Sakura edges towards the aisle behind her and gets ready to make a break for it, when Hinata turns and walks the other way.

"Jeez that was close"

"Huh, who's there?" Hinata says hearing Sakura's whispered utterance.

When out of nowhere, up pops Lee!

"Hello Hinata, have you seen Sakura?" Lee asks startling Hinata, who drops her basket.

"No, not recently. Why?" Hinata says.

"I need to ask her something." Lee/Sakura says, looking excited.

"Okay, well as far as I know, she's at home. Being boring." Hinata replies, laughing to herself.

By the time Hinata had said this, Sakura had ran for the door and was sitting in the shadows just outside.

"I wonder if she saw through my disguise?" Sakura says to herself a little worried.

"Well other than her buying suntan lotion, I didn't find out much about what her plans were exactly. I'll just have to follow her home and hope she doesn't catch me this time." She says.

Hinata comes out of the store carrying a bag in each hand. She heads for home, with Sakura in close pursuit.

"She moves pretty fast for someone who's carrying bags." Sakura says, Hinata's house coming into view.

Hinata walks up to her house, puts in the key and goes in. Sakura follows her through as Hinata puts down the bags near the door before closing it.

Sakura moves through the house to Hinata's room as she is putting away the groceries that she just bought. Hinata enters, locking her door behind her and sits down at a table and looks around her room and says,

"You can come out now Sakura!"

"How long did you know?" Sakura asks, sitting on the floor.

"Since I left the supermarket." Hinata replies sitting on the floor across from Sakura.

"Ahh, I'll just be going then. Can you unlock the door?" Sakura asks.

"No, we need to talk." Hinata says calmly.

"What about?" asks Sakura nervously.

"About our little contest of course!" Hinata says.

"What do you mean? What part?" Sakura asks.

"Well like, are you going to try to sabotage our little date tomorrow?" she asks innocently moving closer.

"What? Why would you ask that?" Sakura replies turning slightly pink at being seen thru so easily.

"Oh, just wondering. I wouldn't want to have to… return the favor with interest." Hinata says now smiling slightly.

"Goodness no, you didn't bother us on ours. Why would I do that to you?" Sakura says subtly scooting back.

"Giving him up so easily? I'm surprised! Do you like girls now or something?" Hinata asks, pushing Sakura over and leaning over her.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asks, vivsibly sweating.

"Well you said you liked girls, and I don't really have a problem with them." Hinata says, leaning closer.

Sakura tries to scoot out from underneath her, but Hinata traps her with her hand.

"What? Are you scared? Have you never kissed another girl before?" Hinata asked mockingly.

Sakura is now fidgeting, but Hinata isn't letting her go anywhere.

"I thought you were more experienced then that!" Hinata says pushing herself away.

The key falls from Hinata's pocket and she slips on it, falling back on Sakura.

"Mmmf!"

Sakura and Hinata are laying on the floor, their bodies close together. Their lips joined. As Sakura notices this, her face turns bright red and she feels something trying to get into her mouth. She immediately pushes away looking embarrassed.

"What was that!" Yells Sakura regaining herself.

"I slipped. I figured I'd help you get the experience that you were missing!" Hinata says blandly. "You should be thanking me!"

Despite Sakura's protests, she had enjoyed it and it was something she had never experienced before…

"Just give me the key!" Sakura says, red faced at her own thoughts.

"Fine! Next time I won't help you!" Hinata says tossing the key.

(End Chapter 12)

Was that crazy or what?

Did you like it?

What will arise from this…situation?

Will Naruto find out? And what would he say?

Next time we're returning to the present in:

Chapter 13: Back to the Beach!


	13. Chapter 13: Back to the Beach

Chapter 13: Back to the Beach.

In chapter 11, we saw Naruto and Hinata in a very steamy position before being interrupted. The figure who was standing over them was…

A black haired teen about Naruto's age maybe a little younger. He is a hair shorter and a little bit buffer then Naruto is.

"Hey sorry about that." He says, not looking at all apologetic.

Hinata looks peeved at being interrupted when she was about to

'seal the deal'.

"What do you want?" she asks, fixing her top.

"Nothing really, but why don't we get rid of the idiot and go have some fun at my house." The teen says smiling at her.

Naruto gets up, slowly brushes himself off, and sighs. He walks over to the youth and taps him on the cheek. Hinata raises one eyebrow as the teen goes flying in the direction Naruto tapped him.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Hinata asks impressed.

"From Jiraiya while we were training. I probably hit him to hard." Naruto says. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah a bit, lets get going before it gets too crowded." She replies.

They find a little Café and sit down. They order their food and sit back listening to the relaxed music. There are only 3 other people in the place.

"This place is pretty empty for it being the middle of summer." Hinata says looking around at the lack of patrons.

"Yeah, that's a little odd for a beachside café." Naruto says not thinking much of it.

Hinata is a little more suspicious and starts peering around, looking for something. Naruto notices her concern and wonders what's up.

"What are you looking for?" he whispers to Hinata.

"Shhh, be quiet for a second." Hinata says, looking in all the corners.

"You can come out now." She says to noone.

The other patrons stop eating to look at her. Hinata is still peering around suspiciously, when out of nowhere Naruto pulls out a kunai and slashes at Hinata! What was he thinking? A half piece of rope falls to the ground as Hinata gets up. She pushes the table on its side and pulls Naruto over, crouching behind the table she tipped.

"Come on, no more stupid tricks. Let's get this over with." Hinata says yelling at the air again.

A black figure lounges form the shadows and wraps it's arm around Naruto's neck. He quickly flips it over himself and Hinata is there with a table knife to the assailant's throat before it finishes hitting the ground. They both focus their eyes on the assailant's face and find it to be… the black haired teen from before.

"What the hell!" Naruto says. "Who are you really and what do you want from me and her?" he asks.

"I was hired to kill you both." The teen says eyeing the knife.

"Who sent you?" Naruto asks him.

"Tsunade-sama, the Hokage." he replies.

Naruto and Hinata are shocked by this. Why would Tsunade try to have them assassinated by such a weak person? Naruto lets him up…

"Get the hell outta here, and don't come near us again!" Naruto yells, kicking him in the butt and sending him into the air a few inches.

"Wow, I like that! I'm gonna steal that teaching method from you." Hinata says laughing.

Naruto wasn't laughing…

"Let's go find Tsunade." He says, looking serious.

Hinata follows in Naruto's wake, they stop at Hinata's house to change into regular clothes. (much to the dismay of the reader, I'm sure!)

They find Tsunade in her office looking through paperwork…

"We want to talk to you!" Naruto says, storming in.

Ah! I was just looking for you. I have a mission I need you to go on…" she starts.

"No, not until we get some answers!" Hinata says.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asks innocently.

"Like why you sent someone to kill us today!" Hinata replies.

"I did that to test your suitability for this missions I was about to give you." she says offering the paper she had been holding.

"What?" Hinata and Naruto say, equally confused.

"Look, the mission I was gonna send you on requires 2 people who support each other perfectly. That's why I sent someone to attack you, I figured that would be the easiest way to see how well you could cover each other in a confrontation." She explains. "See, here's the report on how well you guys did." She says, offering up the other papers.

"So what exactly is this mission you're sending us on?" Hinata asks.

"It's an A rank mission. We are having the leader of the cloud country assassinated. The only problem is that, currently they are only letting nobles and couples through the gates at this point. So seeing as you 2 seem to know each other so well, I figured you were the obvious choice." Tsunade winks.

"Sounds…interesting." Naruto replies.

"Too bad! It's about a five day trip to get there. Take the time to get to know each others strengths and weaknesses, and likes and dislikes. Oh also, bring a blanket or 2, it gets cold this time of year, and spare blankets are a rarity there." Tsunade finishes. "You leave tommorow." She says.

"Alright." Naruto and Hinata say in unison.

They head for the door, their heads a blur after having so much information pushed upon them. Hinata finally breaks the silence…

"I guess we're going to be spending the next couple of days together, huh?"

"Yeah. It seems like it." Naruto says, somewhat lost in thought.

"If you, want to get a head start tomorrow, why don't you spend the night at my house?" Hinata says, stopping for a moment waiting for a reply.

"Okay, that's fine. Let me pack my stuff and I'll be over a bit later." He says, heading off towards his house.

"Yeah, see you in a bit." She replies.

Naruto heads home and packs his bags. He locks the door and drops the keys in his pocket and heads off. He gets to Hinata's and is greeted by her in her night clothes. She shows him where the guest room is, and he drops his stuff near the door and plops down on the bed.

"We're gonna try to leave no later than 8 tomorrow morning. Neji and my dad are out for a couple of days training. I'll leave them a note explaining that I'll be gone with you on a mission for the next 2 weeks or so." She says. "Do you need anything before I turn in?" she asks.

"Nah, I'm just gonna crash for the night." Naruto says, closing his eyes and laying back in the bed. "Good night."

"Okay, goodnight… I'll see you tomorrow." She says, closing the door.

(End Chapter 13)

What's gonna happen on their A ranked mission?

What new things will Naruto learn about Hinata?

Where is Sakura? (As so many of you will probably ask.)

Read the next part to find out! Next up is:

Chapter 14: The Understanding.

Author's Note Time:

I know I said I wouldn't be updating during the summer, but I had this chapter typed already and I didn't want you suffering all through the summer not knowing what was gonna happen or who was standing over them. (I also am at a friends who had a working internet connection.) So I figured I'd post this chapter for all my loyal readers. I really do need this break, and I thank all of you for your patience. However, I am sometimes online but I don't post a chapter. If you check the story description page, I usually update that, and I've just recently updated my profile. So, I hope this helps! Have a great Summer everyone! Until next time…

End Author's Note


	14. Chapter 14: The Understanding

Chapter 14: The Understanding.

The next morning, Naruto wakes up to Hinata gently pushing his side. He sits up, looking around and stretching his shoulders.

"We're gonna need to leave in about 25 minutes. If you need to take a shower, it's just down the hall." She says, pointing.

"Yeah, thanks." He says, putting his feet on the floor and walking towards the door.

"How long have you been up?" he asks, looking back over his shoulder.

"About an hour or so." She replies, making the bed up for him.

"Oh, okay." He says, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Hinata returns to her room and quickly checks through her things to make sure she has everything. She hears Naruto turn on the shower and get in. He seems to be moving kinda slowly.

"_He must not be a morning person._" She thinks to herself.

Naruto is standing in the shower, the water running, trying to figure out why he has that weird feeling again. He tries to remember what is causing this, but stills seems unable to remember anything. He finishes rinsing off behind his ears and gets out. He towels himself off, and walks out. The towel wrapped around his midsection.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asks, concerned.

"Yeah, just a little tired is all." Naruto replies, entering his room.

Hinata was confused. Usually Naruto was excited right before a mission, but today he seemed almost upset.

"Hey, do you mind… uh you know." He says, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." She says, heading for the door to give him some privacy. She closes it behind her, and sits down a little ways down the hall to wait.

"Thanks." He replies, smiling sheepishly.

Naruto still couldn't figure out what had happened at Sakura's house that night and if it was connected to his uneasiness. Maybe if he talked to Hinata, he could figure it out.

Naruto gets dressed, grabs his bag, and heads for the door of his bedroom. He finds her on the other side, leaning against the wall.

"You ready?" he asks her.

"Yeah, let's go." She say, picking up her bag and leading the way to the front door.

The whole trip from Hinata's house to the village gates is silent. Both Hinata and Naruto are lost in their own thoughts. Finally Hinata breaks the silence…

"Are you okay? You seem a little distracted today." She says.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just spacing a little is all." Naruto replies, looking at the ground.

Hinata stops as does Naruto a few feet after her.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"What's bothering you? Usually you're full of energy right now. Did something happen?" she asks him.

"No, nothing happened. I'm just having trouble remembering something, and it's bothering me a bit." He replies.

"Don't worry about it, it'll come to you when you need it. Don't strain yourself." She says, smiling.

"I guess you're right." He says, looking a little more focused. "Do you want to get started on getting to know each other better?" he asks, cuddling up to her with a sinister look on his face.

"You are such a guy!" she laughs, running ahead.

"Hey, don't be like that. I was just making a joke." He says, chasing after her.

Hinata continues to run ahead and Naruto follows in her wake.

While back at home… Sakura is heading to Naruto's house to see if he wants to get breakfast with her. She knocks on the door, but no one answers.

"_That's weird, usually he doesn't get going till later in the day._" She thinks, peeking in his window. "Maybe I should go check to see if he has been anywhere else today." She says.

Sakura runs off in search of Naruto. Meanwhile on the other side of the village, Kakashi is reading the paper to see if he'll finally get on the front page.

"God dammit all! When's my turn to be in the news. It's not like all I do is read Makeout Paradise all day!" he says, extremely annoyed. "And yet Guy gets in the paper for winning a flippin' cow milking contest. Stupid newspaper." He rants, throwing it across the room.

"Have you seen Naruto?" Sakura asks, not startling Kakashi at all.

"Goddamn woman! Use a doorbell for Crissake!" he says, yelling at her. "You might want to talk to Tsunade though, she might have given him a mission. He hasn't been on many since he got back." Kakashi says, still irked at her.

" Thanks. And don't worry, the paper is having an expose on ninja teachers and their former students. I already gave a quote, so I figure they'll probably come looking for you sooner or later." Sakura says, trying to brighten his mood.

"Sw33t, front page, here I come!" he says, obviously excited.

Sakura heads to Tsunade's office, laughing at how vain Kakashi had become lately. She wonders what that could mean… hmm.

Anyway, she heads to Tsunade's to find out where Naruto is being sent to. When she enters Tsunade's office, she finds no one there. She walks over to the desk and starts shuffling through the papers lying about. She finds his mission acceptance form, he's heading to the Country of Clouds. And he's not alone… Hinata's name is signed at the bottom also.

"Great… I can't leave those two alone for 5 minutes without her trying to go on every mission she can with him so they can be alone." She says, obviously getting pissed of at what she could be doing with him right now.

Sakura puts the papers back on the desk and heads for the door. As she reaches it, someone walks through from the other side. They are carrying a large stack of papers and don't seem to notice Sakura standing there. The person runs right into her dropping the papers everywhere.

"What are you doing here?" the person asks her.

"Uhh, nothing. I was looking for Tsunade-sama." Sakura replies hurriedly.

"Well, she's out. She'll be back in about 2 weeks." The person says, placing the papers she had picked up on the desk.

The attendant type person turns to look at Sakura, but sees that she had been talking to thin air and an empty doorway.

Sakura heads home and packs a bag of the… essentials. She leaves a note for her mother explaining that she'll be gone for a few days and not to worry. She figures that Hinata got a half day head start on her and that she'll have to move quickly to catch up before night falls.

Hinata and Naruto decide to stop at a little bed and breakfast just off the path and do a little research on the Country of Clouds. They also use some of their time to get to know each other…

Naruto is sitting near the fire in the main living room, Hinata sits down next to him and cuddles up to his right arm. They sit there in silence, when Hinata looks up at Naruto.

"Can I ask you something?" she says.

"Huh? What is it?" he says, still staring at the fire burning away in the hearth.

"Do you like Sakura?" she says, rather bluntly.

"What makes you ask that?" he says, looking intrigued.

"Well I saw that you guys were getting along… well but I didn't know if you were dating or not." She says.

"We're not. You have to remember that her and I are on the same team so we usually see each other a lot to begin with." He replies, trying to see where this conversation is going.

"Okay, I was just curious." She replies.

"You wouldn't ask me if you were 'just curious', what's really the matter?" he asks.

"Isn't it obvious, I love you!" she says. "I was just afraid you still liked Sakura."

Truth be told, Naruto thought about it and still couldn't have figured it out up till now. He was shocked at the fact that she said it so blatantly. Women could be so hard to read…

"I thought I was pretty well prepared for this mission, but I think you caught me." He said, shaking his head.

Hinata laughed.

"I just wanted to get my feelings out is all. I've had a crush on you for a while now and you never seemed to notice." She said.

"Yeah, I'm kinda oblivious that way." He says, laughing nervously.

"It's okay, you don't have to do anything yet. I just wanted to let you know." She says, smiling.

"Umm… thanks?" he says, more confused then before.

Hinata leans in, kissing him softly on the cheek.

"You're a really nice person you know… you're just an idiot when it comes to women. I wish we could be on this trip for regular reason rather then for a mission." She says.

Naruto laughs, still VERY nervous. They stay huddled on the couch, in front of the fire together all night. The next morning, the proprietor's wife wakes them much to their embarrassment. They get their stuff and leave, back on the trail to continue their journey together. The proprietor's wife smiles as they leave, remembering when she and her husband were that age.

Hinata and Naruto continue on the path, Hinata clinging to Naruto's arm for most of the morning…

(End Chapter 14)

Sakura is following the duo in hopes of stopping them from getting closer. Will her efforts succeed?

Are Naruto and Hinata entering into a relationship?

What will Sakura if she's left again by the man she loves?

Next Installment:

Chapter 15: A Hinata inquire.

(Begin A..N. Time)

Obviously I've found my notebook. I've replaced the fake Chapter 14 with this one. I'm REALLY sorry about the wait, I'm had an… interesting Summer. Much like the one Naruto is having. Anyway, along with the next chapter, there is gonna be a contest. It's gonna have a once in a lifetime prize for the winner(s). Any number of people can win. Anyway, the full rules will be posted along with the next chapter. So until then… Chakurakid15 out!

(End A .N. Time)


	15. Chapter 15: A Hinata Inquiry

Chapter 15: A Hinata Inquiry.

Hinata had clung to his arm for most of the morning, but now they had stopped for lunch and she was sitting across from him. Naruto had dreams of what life would be like if he and Hinata dated, and it wasn't too bad... He rather liked the idea actually.

"What are you having?" she asks, pulling him from his wandering thoughts.

"I was thinking the sesame seed chicken sounds good." She replies, smiling at him. "How about you?"

"I'm leaning more towards a big bowl of pork teriyaki." He says.

"Sounds good, I may just sneak a bit from you when you're not looking. Be careful." She says, laughing.

He smiles back, thinking about how cute she is and how much she has changed over the past few years… Hinata looks up from the menu.

"You know, we haven't learned much about each other. What do you want to know about me?" she asks.

"Well, how about when's your birthday?" he asks her, looking into her eyes.

"Pff, I know how men think. What you really want to know about are these." She says, looking down slightly.

Naruto turns red and doesn't deny it.

"Men are so easy!" Hinata laughs, as the waitress appears at their table.

"Hey, don't generalize men." Naruto declares.

"Why? The author does it to women all the time." Hinata says, thinking back on all the times so far.

"You're so mean." Naruto replies, in mock severity.

Hinata sticks out her tongue at him and laughs. They sit there for a while, talking about various things, when the food finally comes.

"Well, our food's here, let eat!" Naruto exclaims, his mouth watering.

"Hinata shakes her head, laughs again, and picks up her fork. They eat quickly, and Hinata heads outside as Naruto pays. He uses the money Tsunade gave him for the mission.

"That was pretty good, we'll have to stop there on the way back." Hinata says, clearly happy.

Naruto suddenly get this weird feeling that he's being watched. As they climb higher into the mountains, the feeling persists, growing stronger as they go. Then all of a sudden the feeling disappears.

"Did you feel that?" Naruto says.

"Feel what?" Hinata replies, in an almost airy, carefree way.

"It felt like we were being watched for a while now, and all of a sudden it stopped." He says, peering around.

"I haven't felt anything. I don't know what you're talking about." She says, looking confused.

"I haven't felt anything. I don't know what you're talking about." She says, looking confused.

Out of nowhere, a shuriken spins down towards Naruto. He raises his arm in defense, but it slices right through and implants itself in his chest. He falls to the ground, a pool of blood forming around him. Hinata jumps back out of the clearing, crying and pulling a kunai from her hip case.

"Why! Why did this have to happen! Whoever did this is gonna pay!" she says to herself, wiping the tears from her face.

Two ninja come from the trees and check Naruto's body. They look at his headband and check through his stuff. Hinata searches for the third member of the group, but to no avail. She doesn't want to squander any chakura yet before she knows how strong they are. As she gets ready to move, Naruto's body disappears and is replaced by the real Naruto! He has a kunai in both hands, one pointing at each of the two ninja's throats. They freeze, surprised that he's still alive.

"What the hell did I do to you?" he asks them, giving them the evil eye.

The two ninja are still frozen in place, but one replies, "We thought you were our instructor. He said that if he caught us during the training today, he'd kill us. So we thought we'd catch him by surprise and attack first." The other one nods his head slightly, his eye still on the kunai at his throat. Hinata now sees the third ninja of the group sneaking around in the bushes, just out of earshot of the conversation. She decides to stop her before any real harm befalls Naruto before she can get her hands on him!

Hinata sneaks up behind the girl and says, "Boo!"

The girl jumps three feet into the air and Hinata falls to the ground laughing.

"What the hell!" the girl says, calming down a bit.

"Why don't you come with me and we'll figure everything out." Hinata says, a smile still running across her face.

The girl nods her agreement, still a little miffed at being scared so easily. She doesn't have a problem listening to Hinata after seeing the convincing smile she's getting and the pointy kunai that Hinata is still holding.

Naruto and Hinata listen to the full story of the three young ninja and learn that they are actually from the Cloud Country. Hinata and Naruto decide to let them 'join' their little group as guides. Hinata asks them to go a little up the trail so she can talk to Naruto privately. They head off, still in view and the two boys huddle together laughing as the girl sits down against a tree.

They see Hinata yelling and hit Naruto on the back of the head. As Naruto and Hinata come up to them, they see the two boys laughing even harder and the younger one wiggling his pinky to the older one while looking over at Naruto, who completely ignores them.

"Now you guys are gonna be our guides. We don't want any funny stuff, or people will be liable to lose certain valuable appendages. Naruto says, giving a meaningful stare at the boys.

The two boys straighten up and look scared. Naruto leads with the three ninja behind, and Hinata bringing up the rear. Hinata still finds a few things odd, but she keeps it to herself for now.

The rest of the day is uneventful, and they stop to rest for the night at a little inn at a village they happen to walk through. The three ninja, whose names are Fai, Aeris, and Uryuu, stay in one room and Hinata and Naruto in adjoined rooms a little down the hall. Everyone sleeps well, and the next day, Aeris pulls Hinata to the side and asks…

"I can get you to the Cloud Country 2 whole days faster if you want." She says.

"How?" asks Hinata.

"There's a trail that leads straight up the mountain rather then around it. It's a little more dangerous, but it's a lot faster." She says.

"Well, show it to us when we get there and we'll decide then." Hinata replies.

Today, Aeris, Fai, and Uryuu lead the way and Naruto and Hinata stay back so it's easier to talk. Naruto and Hinata tell each other all about each other till they have everything they think they'll need memorized. They come up to the trail that Aeris mentioned, and see what the three ninja meant. It was pretty steep, but it was definitely possible. They look ahead at the final leg of their journey and then at each other.

"There's only one way to get there." Hinata says, starting her way up the mountain path.

"Yeah , you're right." Naruto agrees, following her.

They start walking and a thought strikes Naruto.

"Hey I just remembered, you never answered my question." Naruto says.

"What about my boobs?" she asks, smiling again. "They're 36C."

"No, actually I meant about your birthday." He replies.

"Oh…" she says.

(End Chapter 15)

Will Naruto and Hinata make it through the gates?

Can they complete their mission?

Who would have known Hinata would grow to be so busty?

The next installment:

Chapter 16: The Hearts Path.

Contest Time:

If you can correctly name the Anime/Manga/Games that the three younger ninja are from, I'll let you ask me any TWO (2) questions you want to ask about me or the story or any upcoming stories in progress. Just send your answers to me along with the question you want to ask. DO NOT post answers in the review section, they

WILL NOT be counted!!! Send me a PM and Good luck! The contest ends when chapter 16 is posted, the winners will be announced at the end of the next chapter. There CAN be more then one winner.

And partial answers will not be considered! It's all or none!

So get crackin' people!

-The Author-

Quick Authors Note

Chapter 16 is giving me some problems so it may take a little longer then normal to get out. So you have to wait, but at the same time this will give you more time to get the answers to the contest. So… it's kind of a double-edged sword. I may even have one more contest after this one. So keep your eyes open!!!!


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